202 Cleaning and protec tio n
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve
hicle should on ly be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules .
~ Before using the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN
INGS
c::> A in General information on
page 200 .
~ Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer.
~ Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray".
~ Do not ho ld the spray nozzle too close to
soft materials.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power wash
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
o per atin g
p re ss u re
and the s p rayin g distance . Maintain
a sufficient d istance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and sound/vibrat ion deadening
materials (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct st ream or one that has a ro
ta ting
jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w ith a je t that sprays wa
ter in a direc t stream. This cou ld cause in
visib le damage to the tires and weake n
t hem, even if the spray is from a relatively
long distance and for a short time . Dam
aged and weakened t ires can fai l and cause
accidents and persona l injury.
([) Note
To avoid damag ing your vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient distance between the spray head and soft materia
ls
like rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound
deaden ing mater ials. Never aim the spray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bumpers. Remember: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ial, the greater the stress on the ma
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand brush and remove
ice with a de -icing spray that does not con
tain so lvents.
- Clean the sensors (adaptive c ruise control*,
parking system *) with a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth.
(D Note
- If you wash your vehicle with a pressure
washer,
- make sure there is enough distance to
sensors in the rear bumper.
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the p ressure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove snow o r ice from the camera lens. This
could cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products .
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating prot ects the vehicle paint
to a la rge extent against the envi ronmental
factors lis ted under
c::> page 200, Washing and
even against s light scra tches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect you r
paint as soon as one wee k afte r you r vehicle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
wa xing process in
automat ic car washes, we recommend that
you manually apply a coat of wax to g ive the
1111>
CD Note
-Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on the leather surfaces
in your Audi.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe
cialist .
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: with Alcantara® upholstery
Rem oving dus t and dirt
.,. Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces .
Rem ov ing sta in s
.,. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water or
with diluted
e th yl (rubb ing ) a lcohol.
.,. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
.,. Once the stain is no longer visible, use a
soft dry cloth or t issue to soak up the mois
tu re.
Do not use leather cleaning products on Al
cantara ®.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing
dust and dirt. Dust and grit in the pores and seams can
scratch and damage the surface. If the car is
left standing in the sun for long periods, the
Alcantara ® should be protected against direct
sunlight to prevent it from fad ing . Slight color
variations will develop in normal use and are
not an indication of material deterioration.
CD Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g . lighter
flu id, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
s imilar products on Alcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn stains
removed by a commerc ial cleaning spe
cia list .
- Do not use brushes, st iff sponges or s im
i larly abrasive cleaning aids .
Cleaning and protec tion
Safety belts
Only well-maintained safety belts work relia
bly when needed .
.,. Keep belts clean.
.,. For cleaning, use a mild soap and water so l
ution . Let belts dry thoroughly and away
from d irect sunlight .
.,. Do not allow inertia ree l safety belts to re
tract befo re they are completely dry.
.,. Check the condition of your safety bel ts
reg
ularly .
Heavi ly so iled safety be lts may not ret ra ct
properly.
A WARNING
-Damaged safety belts can break in a crash .
- Anyth ing that might damage yo ur safety
be lts could mea n that you and your pas
sengers would not be adequate ly pro
tected in an accident .
- Safety belt performance depends on cor
rect insta llation. Never remove be lts
from the vehicle to clean them.
- Do not use chemical clean ing agents,
bleach or dyes. They have corrosive prop
erties which wea ken the webbing.
- When clean ing you r safety be lts, inspect
them for damage . If you discover dam
age, see yo ur authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other information
¢ page 200.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en
gine compartment.
Alway s swit ch off th e ign ition befor e clean
ing the engine
¢ ,&. .
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum panel in front
of the windshield under the eng ine hood . This
prevents t he wate r drain holes from becomi ng
blocked, and it p revents deb ris from enter ing
the ve hicl e interio r th ro ugh the heating and
ventilat ion duc ts . .,..
209
•
•
210 Cleaning and protec tio n
Cor ro sion pr ote cti on
The engine compa rtment and transmiss ion
hav e been corrosion-protect ed at th e factory.
Good ant i-corrosion t reatme nt is very impor
tant, particularly in the winter. If the veh icle
is frequently driven on sa lt treated roads , the
enti re engin e compartment and pl enum panel
should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of
wint er and retreated to pr eve nt salt damag e.
At the same t ime, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as well.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
t ime with gr eas e re moving solutions
1>, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti -corro
sion treatmen t is almost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long
lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
_& WARNING
Be aware: The engine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially ha zardous
area .
- Before working in the engine compart
ment, be s ure to read the in formation
Q page 216.
-Before reaching into the front plenum
pane l, always remove the ignition key .
Otherw ise, the windshield wiper system
cou ld unintentionally be switched on,
poss ibly causing personal injury from the
moving wiper linkage.
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan is temperature controlled and can switch
on suddenly -even when the ignit ion is
off .
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine w ith
the engine running . Moving or hot pa rts
cou ld injure you .
- Do not clean the underside of the chas sis, fenders , wheel covers, or other hard
1l Use only th e correct clean in g so lu ti on s. Ne ver use ga s
o lin e or diesel fue l.
to reach parts without protecting your
hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
Q page 200.
Fuel supply and filling
your f uel tank
Gasoline
Fuel supply
Using the right fuel helps keep the environ
ment clean and prevents engine damage.
Fuel recommendation
The fuel recommended for you r vehicle is un
leaded premium
g rade gasolin e. See also
¢ page 271, Data . Audi recommends usi ng
TO P TI ER Deterge nt Gaso line wi th a minim um
oc ta ne ra ti ng of 9 1 AK I (9 5 RON). For more
in fo rmation on TO P TI ER De tergent Gaso line,
p lease go to the official website (www.toptier
gas.com).
The re commended g asoline octane r ating for
your engine can a lso be fo und o n a label loca t
e d on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap . This rat
ing may be specif ied as A KI or RO N.
Your veh icle m ay also be oper ated using un
l e aded regular gasoline with a minimum oc
tane rating of 87 AKI/91 RON . However, using
87 AKI/9 1 RO N octa ne f ue l w ill sli ghtly re
d uce eng ine perfo rmance .
Use unleaded gasoline only. Unleaded gaso
line is available th rougho ut the USA, Canada,
a nd in most E uropean cou ntries . We recom
mend that you do not ta ke yo ur vehicle to
areas or count ries where unleaded gasoline
may not be ava ilable.
F or mo re informat io n on refue ling your ve hi
cle, see ¢
page 213.
Octane rating
Octane r ati ng in dicates a gaso line's abili ty to
r es ist engine damaging "knock" ca used by
p remature ign ition and detonation. Therefore,
buy ing the correct grade of gaso line is very
i mportant to help prevent possible engine
damage and a loss of engine performance.
Gasoline most common ly used in the Unite d
States and Canada has the followin g octane
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 211
ra tings that can usu a lly be found on the fi ller
p ump :
- Premium Gr ade: 9 1 -9 6 AKI
- Regular Grade : 87 -90 AKI
Explanation of the abbreviations:
AKI = Anti K nock In d ex = (R+M )/2 = (RO N
+M ON)/2
RON= Resear ch O ctane Num ber
MO N= Motor Octane Number.
(D Note
- Do not use a ny fue l w it h octane rat ings
lower than 87 A KI or 9 1 RO N othe rwise
e xpensive engi ne damage w ill occur.
- Do
not use leaded gasoli ne . The use of
leaded gasolin e w ill severely damage
yo ur vehicl e's cata lytic co nve rter and its
ability to control exh aust em iss ions.
Blended gasoline
U se of gasoline containing alcohol or
MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
You may use unleaded g asoline blende d with
a lcohol o r MTBE (commonly re fer red to as
oxygenates) if the blende d mixture meets the
fo llow ing criteria:
Blend of gasoline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti -kno ck index mus t be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must contain no mor e than 3% meth-
anol.
- Blend must co ntain more than 2% co-sol-
vents .
Blend of gasoline and ethanol (grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol)
- Anti -knoc k index must be 87 A KI or higher.
- Blend must not conta in mo re tha n 10%
ethanol.
- Ve hicl es w ith flex ible f uel engine : blend
m ust not contain more t han 85% ethanol.
Blend of ga soline and MTBE ..,_
•
•
212 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend must contain not more than 15%
MTBE .
Seasonally adjusted gasoline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform
especially well for winter or summer driving .
During seasonal change-over, we suggest that
you fill up at busy gas stat ions where the sea
sonal adjustment is more likely to be made in
time.
CD Note
- Fuels containing a high percentage of
ethanol such as ESO and E85 may only
be used in vehicles with flex ible fuel en
gines. Using high ethano l fuel in vehicles
not equipped with flexib le fue l eng ines
can cause severe engine damage.
- Methanol fuels which do not mee t these
requirements may cause corrosion and
damage to plastic and rubber compo
nents in the fuel system.
- Do not use fuels that fail to meet the
specified criteria in this chapter.
- If you are unable to determine whether
or not a particular fuel blend meets the
specifications, ask your service station or
its fuel supplier.
- Do not use fuel for which the contents
cannot be identif ied.
- Fuel system damage and performance
problems resulting from the use of fuels
different from those specified are not
the respons ibility of Audi and are not
covered under the New Vehicle or the
Emission Control System Warranties .
- If you experience a loss of fuel economy
or driveab ility and performance prob
le ms due to the use of one of these fuel
blends, we recommend that you switch
to unblended fuel.
Ethanol fuel (Bio-ethanol)
Applies to vehicles: wit h flexible fue l e ngi ne
Vehicles with f lexible fuel engines may be op
erated with bio-ethanol fuels such as E85 (85% ethano
l and 15% gasoline) or with un
leaded gasoline (91 AKI/ROZ 95). The vehicle
may also be operated with a mixture of these
fuels.
Your fuel consumption wi ll increase when us
ing bio-ethano l fue ls due to the lower amount
of energy contained per unit volume in etha
nol.
Warming up the Flexible fuel engine in
low temperatures
Due to the chemical composition of bio-etha
nol, a certain amount of fuel ends up in the
engine oil when driving short distances in very
low temperatures . Th is fuel evaporates again
when the engine is warmed up.
II Please warm up engine.
If the driver message appears in the instru
ment cluster disp lay, drive with a warm en
gine to reduce the oil level.
CD Note
- Never fill with methanol or with a higher
percentage of bio-ethanol than 85%
(E85). A higher percentage of bio-etha
nol in the fuel can cause damage to the
eng ine or to the fuel system .
- Read and follow the information and t ips
about gasoline¢
page 211.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among many auto manufac
turers is carbon depos it build-up caused by
the type of gaso line you use .
Although gasoline grades differ from one manufacturer to another, they have certain
th ings in common . All gasol ine grades conta in
substances that can cause deposits to collect
on vital engine parts, such as fue l injectors
and intake valves. A lthough most gasoline
brands include add itives to keep engine and
f uel systems clean, they are not equally effec
tive .
Audi recommends using TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline . For mo re information on TOP TIER .,.
214 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Refuelling procedure
.. Inse rt the fue l nozzle from the gasol ine
pump into the fue l filler neck as far as it will
go.
.. Select a m edium refu elling rate so that the
no zzle switches
off automatica lly when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
.. After filling your tank, twist the fuel cap
clockwise as far as it will go.
.. Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spi lling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel cap properly and
comp letely.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fue l can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly f lammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine
off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to over
flow. Fuel spray and overflow ing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fueling . The electromagnetic radiation
can cause sparks that can ignite fue l va
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while re
fueling. If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle wh ile
refue ling, make certa in that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again . Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refu
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend that you do not travel w ith a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con- tainer, fu
ll or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash .
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portab le fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
wh ile it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk) . Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
nite fue l vapors causing a fire .
-Always place a portab le fue l container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portab le container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or luggage compartment . Fuel vapors are
highly flammable .
- Always observe local and state/provin
c ial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86) .
(D Note
If any fuel has spi lled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@) For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correct ly operated nozzle
switches
off automat ically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out . In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank wi ll be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
lute the environment.
@ Tips
-Running yo ur engine while refuelling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fue l to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your veh icle w ith the igni
tion turned on . The fuel gauge may oth
erwise not ind icate the correct fue l level
after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
l ocked when you lock the vehicle from
the i nside.
Unlocking the fuel filler flap by hand
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
F ig. 1 65 Luggage co mpartme nt: open ing t he side trim
Fi g. 166 Luggage co mpa rt m ent : E m erge ncy ope ning
of fuel fill er flap
The emergency opening mechanism is located
behind the right side trim pane l in the lug
gage compartment .
Opening the side trim
.. Insert a too l such as a screwdriver
¢
page 252 or the emergency key into the
rig ht side of the upper gap ¢
fig. 165.
Fuel suppl y and filli ng your fuel t ank 215
.. Pry upward to release the trim .
Fuel filler door emergency release
.. Loosen the strap from its bracket and pu ll
on it ¢
fig. 166. You can now open the fuel
filler f lap as usual ¢
page 213.
216 Checking and filling
Checking and filling
Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig . 16 7 Dr iver' s side footwe ll: e ngin e hood re lease
lever
.. Open the drive r's door.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
inst rument panel
c> fig . 167 in the d irect ion
of the ar row .
The hood pops up s light ly under spring pres
sure.
Opening the engine hood
Fig. 168 Re lease lever under the eng ine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make s ure
that the windshie ld w ipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they co uld damage the
pa in t on the hood.
.. Pull up on the release unde r the hood
r:!> fig . 168 . This releases the catch.
.. Open the hood all the way
c> .&,.
A WARNING
-Hot eng ine co olant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being b urned, never
o pen the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escapi ng from the eng ine
compa rtment . W ait unt il no steam or
coo lant can b e se en o r heard before care
fu lly openi ng the ho od.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down an d latc h in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c> .&, .
A WARNING
--
A ho od t hat is not completely latched
could fly up an d block your vi ew while dr iv
i ng.
- W hen you close the engine hood, c heck it
to make sure the safety catch has p ro per
ly engaged . The ho od s houl d be flush
wit h the surrou nding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iv ing t hat t he hood
is not s ecured properly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment .
Whenever you must perform any wo rk in the
engine compartment, for example checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accidents. To prevent per
sonal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS. The engine compartm ent of any
vehicle is a hazardous area
c> &, .
A WARNING
To he lp avo id i njury, before yo u check any
thi ng under the hoo d:
- Tu rn off the eng ine.
- Remove the igni tion key.